ATP500 Cinch Championships, Queen’s 2024

Choose your champion

  • Alex de Minaur

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Taylor Fritz

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Tommy Paul

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ben Shelton

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ugo Humbert

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sebastian Korda

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .

Alcawrath

Professional
I think tennis would benefit from a likeable American player winning big titles again. It's been too long. Tommy's movement on grass is elite. Allegedly he studies Tim Henman videos lol.
I imagine Carlitos doesn't want to see Tommy in his half of the draw at SW19
@TimHenmanATG
Tommy Paul seems to have reinvented himself. I guess you never really know how much of a production like the Netflix series Breakpoint is true or not, but Paul tried to convey that he has changed how he approaches the game and it seems true. In the last two years he just quietly continues to grind and put the work in and it's showing. Since Jan. 2023 he just keeps getting closer and closer to a top 10 ranking. Let's go TP!
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Insane choke from Musetti in those rallies
But Tommy while trying to serve it out at 5-4. Like others have said, Tommy's a nice enough guy but Lorenzo has the wow factor (except for the yellow kit and weak second serve).

At least in this final we saw deft slicing, off pace shots and variety. That Halle final was utter torture. Just ball bashing on every single shot. God spare us grass court tennis played like that. The opposite of Fed in every way.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Congrats, Sir Paul
Um...there's only one Sir Paul ( a photomontage, BTW).

efdc0c89516d0ff7672150e0cbf87c3f.jpg
 
Tommy Paul seems to have reinvented himself. I guess you never really know how much of a production like the Netflix series Breakpoint is true or not, but Paul tried to convey that he has changed how he approaches the game and it seems true. In the last two years he just quietly continues to grind and put the work in and it's showing. Since Jan. 2023 he just keeps getting closer and closer to a top 10 ranking. Let's go TP!
Guy’s been amazingly consistent this year. Good for him, winning Queens.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Tommy Paul becomes the 9th American player to win the Queen's title in the Open Era and the 1st since Sam Querrey (2010). It is his 2nd title of the season after winning the title in Dallas and 1st on grass. Will be interesting to see if he can carry this form and momentum into Wimbledon.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
I think tennis would benefit from a likeable American player winning big titles again. It's been too long. Tommy's movement on grass is elite. Allegedly he studies Tim Henman videos lol.
I imagine Carlitos doesn't want to see Tommy in his half of the draw at SW19
@TimHenmanATG
Supposedly Tommy always scored the best whenever the USTA did some fitness testing among the American players, so it's pretty clear he is a great athlete, with excellent balance, speed and endurance. He also seems to be a naturally gifted player, in terms of tennis skills. I think he can still improve a little more, even if he is near peak age physically.

Also, as others have said, he's very easy to like. Seems to have a nice demeanor on court (competitive, but not arrogant or grumpy, throwing out a genuine smile on occasion), and seems like a pretty laid back, normal guy off of it. More on that below...

Tommy Paul seems to have reinvented himself. I guess you never really know how much of a production like the Netflix series Breakpoint is true or not, but Paul tried to convey that he has changed how he approaches the game and it seems true. In the last two years he just quietly continues to grind and put the work in and it's showing. Since Jan. 2023 he just keeps getting closer and closer to a top 10 ranking. Let's go TP!
Honestly, when watching his segments on Breakpoint (which were some of the most interesting, btw), I got the impression that he still very much enjoys a party. They showed him going fishing I think, out on Long Island (which is brilliant), and you can be fairly certain that a significant number of beers were crushed on that trip.

Was also nice to see how he took care of his mom, who looks like she had to work pretty hard to bring him up. Nice story. The girlfriend, on the other hand, was awful and doesn't make sense to me. She seems totally out of character with the rest of his story and everything you see him doing...
 

JMR

Hall of Fame
Supposedly Tommy always scored the best whenever the USTA did some fitness testing among the American players, so it's pretty clear he is a great athlete, with excellent balance, speed and endurance. He also seems to be a naturally gifted player, in terms of tennis skills. I think he can still improve a little more, even if he is near peak age physically.

Also, as others have said, he's very easy to like. Seems to have a nice demeanor on court (competitive, but not arrogant or grumpy, throwing out a genuine smile on occasion), and seems like a pretty laid back, normal guy off of it. More on that below...
I have nothing against Tommy Paul personally, and hope he is enjoying his victory, but as a tennis player he is utterly generic and boring. (Actually, this Queen's had one of the most generic SF lineups I've ever seen in a significant tournament.) The problem with American men's tennis isn't just that today's players can't produce the results of yesterday's stars -- the guys out there now are mostly fundamentally uninteresting. Ashe, Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi, Courier, even Roddick -- these great players were all distinctive. Seeing that quality disappear is almost as bad as waving goodbye to all the slam titles and finals.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
I have nothing against Tommy Paul personally, and hope he is enjoying his victory, but as a tennis player he is utterly generic and boring. (Actually, this Queen's had one of the most generic SF lineups I've ever seen in a significant tournament.) The problem with American men's tennis isn't just that today's players can't produce the results of yesterday's stars -- the guys out there now are mostly fundamentally uninteresting. Ashe, Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi, Courier, even Roddick -- these great players were all distinctive. Seeing that quality disappear is almost as bad as waving goodbye to all the slam titles and finals.
Ummmm, I have no idea what you are watching out there. No idea at all.

Let's start with the Queens semis: first and foremost you have Lorenzo Musetti, one of the most exciting and esthetically pleasing players on the tour. His one-handed style is second to none (even if less effective than Dimitrov right now), and he is known for making some incredible shots. Thompson is a dullard, fine, but then you have Korda, who is quite unique in how smooth and controlled he looks, while still playing great tennis. Finally, there is Tommy Paul, who is just all around excellent. If you can't appreciate his movement and athleticism, at least appreciate his play. His backhand and forehand might look standard to you, but the way he is hitting the ball is anything but standard.

Now on to your next ridiculous implication, that the current crop of American players aren't distinctive. Again, you can't actually be watching the tennis and thinking this. Let's begin with Ben Shelton who, love him or hate him, is one of the most distinctive characters and players on tour. He's all power, speed and energy, and his technique is certainly unique (if a bit quirky). Super distinctive, and pretty darn good. Then you have Tiafoe, who is more showman than tennis player sometimes, but also absolutely distinctive and interesting to watch, especially as he has surprisingly great touch around the net. We touched on Korda and Paul, which I guess leaves Fritz, who is the most boring by far, but nobody cares about Fritz. Anyway, you really aren't making any sense...
 

JMR

Hall of Fame
Ummmm, I have no idea what you are watching out there. No idea at all.
When you wish to disagree, it's better to simply say, "I disagree." Pretending to be mystified just comes off as condescending.

The standard you're applying seems to be that if you consider a player to be boring, then he definitely is so. This condemns Thompson ("a dullard") and Fritz ("the most boring by far"). But if you happen to like a player, then anyone else must be crazy to think otherwise. Needless to say, this is a rather self-serving perspective.

The fact that Tommy Paul plays generic tennis doesn't mean he's not good at it. He's clearly quite good at it, as evidenced by his ranking and his ability to win an ATP 500 event. But for me the question is whether he is so outstanding at generic tennis, so impressive, that he's able to transcend the fact that his style is generic. While I think this is true of Sinner, I don't find it true of Tommy Paul.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
When you wish to disagree, it's better to simply say, "I disagree." Pretending to be mystified just comes off as condescending.

The standard you're applying seems to be that if you consider a player to be boring, then he definitely is so. This condemns Thompson ("a dullard") and Fritz ("the most boring by far"). But if you happen to like a player, then anyone else must be crazy to think otherwise. Needless to say, this is a rather self-serving perspective.

The fact that Tommy Paul plays generic tennis doesn't mean he's not good at it. He's clearly quite good at it, as evidenced by his ranking and his ability to win an ATP 500 event. But for me the question is whether he is so outstanding at generic tennis, so impressive, that he's able to transcend the fact that his style is generic. While I think this is true of Sinner, I don't find it true of Tommy Paul.
Ok, good, you took it as intended, then.

And no, it isn't some self-serving perspective, it is pure objectivity. Compared to the personalities and play styles currently on offer in the ATP top 100 (or 50, or whatever...), you cannot objectively call Shelton and Tiafoe boring. It simply isn't true. The same goes for Korda's play style, if not his personality. Idem for Musetti (one of the semi-finalists you wrote off). In fact, I would say Musetti is among the top 5 or 10 LEAST "generic" players in the world, which is the term you used. And I don't think you find many, if any, actual tennis fans that disagree with that.

Ok, you don't find anything interesting about Tommy Paul. I can't dispute taste. But tell me you enjoyed watching Andy Murray, and...
 
Top